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Thinking Anew and Acting Anew

A new year is upon us, and as we look mission" included 16 recommendations forward to 1996. we are reminded of what for consideration by the members and staff a wise Greek philosopher once said: "Only of the Commission. Because of the limited change is unchanging." The last couple time and budget available for this study, of years have witnessed many changes in Wolf Advisory was unable to delve into the Fish and Boat Commission. I 'm start­ great detail in its "high-level" study, and ing my second full year as your Execu­ some of the observations in the study reflect tive Director. New fishing license fees this. However, the Wolf Advisory study are now in effect, with resident fees chang­ is a valuable tool to be used by the Com­ ing for the first time since 1983. Use of mission as we move forward into the next Peter A. Colangelo gill nets by commercial fishing boats on century. Executive Director Lake Erie stopped on January 1, 1996. One of the major themes of the Wolf Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission We've changed the format of the Summary Advisory study was that the Fish and Boat of Fishing Regulations and Laws, and we're Commission needs to give careful con­ training a class of bright, new waterways sideration to setting priorities within its conservation officers. We're looking at resources and not trying to do everything. changes in our organizational structure. Even before the Wolf Report was issued, We want to improve key processes to better the Commission recognized the need for Every day dedicated Fish and Boat serve the anglers and boaters of careful focusing of its resources on its core Commission employees work hard for the Pennylvania. functions. The report recommended that anglers and boaters and the resources they When the General Assembly was con­ the Commission offer "a specific mix of enjoy. Nowhere was this dedication more sidering legislation to change fishing li­ products and services that are doable within evident than our employee response to the cense fees. State Senator J. Doyle Corman the capabilities and capacities of avail­ "November Nor'easter" that caused power asked us to cooperate in a ""high-level able resources." outages, loss of phone service and other study" of the Commission, its organiza­ The Fish and Boat Commission is grate­ problems, particularly in the central part tion and its management processes. My ful to the Senate for funding this report. of the Commonwealth. Fish and Boat response was that the Fish and Boat Com­ We believe the Wolf study offers valuable Commission employees responded to mission prides itself on being open to new insights into how we can do even better serious problems at several fish culture ideas and that we would welcome such in "providing fishing and boating oppor­ stations. Several employees worked nearly a high-level review. As a result, the Penn­ tunities through the protection and man­ 24 hours straight trying to protect the fish sylvania Senate funded a study by Wolf agement of aquatic resources." We intend being raised, open access to the facilities Advisory International. Ltd. to couple this report with our on-going and get things back on line. The extra Starting in June, Wolf Advisory con­ planning and organizational efforts, as well efforts of our employees in responding ducted a fact-finding study to identify the as initiatives to better assess angler and to this weather emergency remind us of purpose, function and current activities boater desires. We plan to use this infor­ how often Commission employees from of the Fish and Boat Commission. The mation as a kind of roadmap for improve­ all bureaus and functions have gone that study tried to identify specific areas of im­ ment. extra mile to protect the resource and serve provement opportunity and develop rec­ One of the most important observations the angling and boating public. ommendations based on the findings. Wolf in the Wolf Report was that "the major The Wolf Advisory Report was right: conducted in-depth interviews with 27 strength of the Fish and Boat Commis­ The Commission's greatest strength is its Commission employees and had contacts sion lies within its people." The Wolf study people. As we face the challenge think­ with numerous other Commission person­ "'revealed a group of personnel commit­ ing anew and acting anew, I know our fine nel. ted to the agency mission, dedicated to employees will respond as they have in The Wolf Advisory "Overview Study their jobs and caring strongly about the the past, with professionalism and pride of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Com­ long-term health of the organization." in a job well done.

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January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler January 1996 Vol. 65 No. 1 Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Howard E. Pflugfelder Pennsylvania President New Cumberland Donald N. Lacy Vice President ANGLER Reading The Keystone State's Official fishing Magazine ^^ Donald K. Anderson Meyersdale Catching Winter Walleyes by Mike Bleech 4 Samuel M. Concilia North East Ross J. Huhn Annual Report, Fiscal Year 1994-95 Saltsburg Paul J. Mahon Clarks Green (July 1994 through June 1995) 7 Enoch S. "Inky" Moore, Jr. Newville Leon Reed Southeast Pennsylvania Timetable by Vic Attardo 9 Honesdale William J. Sabatose Brockport A Crayfish for the Long Rod by Chauncy K. Lively 13 /. Wayne Yorks Benton On the Water with Charles F. Waterman 15 Boating Advisory Board Gary Miles Chairman Streams for Catching January Trout by Charles R. Meek 16 North East Gary Babin Lancaster Kinzua Creek Watershed by Robert L. Petri 19 Clayton Buchanan Pittsburgh Thaddeus Piotrowski Yellow Creek Watershed by Mark A. Nale 23 Bloomsburg Vincent P. Riggi Clarks Summit Ice Fishing at Laurel Lake by Seth Cassell 27 Ex Officio members: Peter A. Colangelo, Executive Director; John F. Simmons, Director, Bureau of Boating; SMART Angler's Notebook 31 John C. Oliver, Secretary, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources This issue's cover, photographed by Joe Workosky, shows Jennifer Workosky Magazine Staff with a nice stocked brook trout on Bens Creek, Somerset County. Editor—Art Michaels Editorial Assistant—Charlene Seifert Art Director—Ted Walke Success at Alan Holman Lake (Little Buffalo State Park) Circulation—Eleanor Mutch Commission Area 7 Fisheries Manager Larry Jackson reports good news for Circulation—Patti Copp central Pennsylvania largemouth bass anglers at the 88-acre Alan Holman Lake, in Little Buffalo State Park, Perry County. Staff Assistant—Rose Ann Bartal ' 'In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Holman Lake had shown through electrofishing Staff Assistant—Nita Lynch an abundance of largemouth bass, but only a few bass were larger than the 12- Regular contributors inch length limit," Jackson says. Jackson points out that harvest by anglers, water Darl Black quality, habitat and sufficient abundance of appropriate-sized prey are influences Mike Bleech Charles R. Meek on the quality of reproducing fisheries like largemouths. Vic Attardo Big Bass regulations, with a 15-inch length limit and daily creel limit of four, Pennsylvania Angler (ISSN0031-434X) is published monthly hy the Pennsylvania were put into effect on Holman Lake in January 1992 to adjust the size structure Fish & Boat Commission, 3532 Walnut Street. Harrisburg. PA 17109. ©1996. Nothing in this magazine may be reprinted without the written permission of the of the population by regulating harvest. Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. Subscription rates: one year, $9; three years, $25; single copies are $ 1.50 each. Second class postage is paid at Harrisburg. "In May 1995," Jackson says, "our total catch per electrofishing hour didn't PA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Pennsylvania Angler Circulation, Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, P.O.Box 67000, Harrisburg. PA 17106- change much from the results we obtained in the early 1990s. But our 1995 catch 7000. For subscription and change of address, use above address. Please allow six of largemouth bass 12 inches and larger doubled. We shifted the size structure weeks for processing. Send all other correspondence to: The Editor, Pennsylvania Angler, P.O. Box 67000. Harrisburg. PA 17106-7000. Editorial queries and contributions to larger fish by protecting the bass from harvest until they reached 15 inches. are welcome, but must be accompanied by self-addressed, stamped envelopes. Material accepted for publication is subject to Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission standards The abundance of bass from 12 to 15 inches observed in 1995 will translate into and requirements for editing and revising. Submissions are handled carefully, but the publisher assumes no responsibility for the return or safety of submissions in more bass in Holman Lake above 15 inches in future years."-Art Michaels. his possession or in transit. The authors' views, ideas and advice expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinion or official position of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission or its staff. The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission receives federal aid in sport fish restoration. Under appropriate federal acts, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex or handicap. If yon believe thai you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire more information, please write to: The Office of Equal Opportunity, Department of the Interior, Washington. DC 20240. January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler by Mike Bkech

What is it that compels anglers to spend blustery winter days I think you'll get some arguments on that, Dave, but not from on cold rivers in search of walleyes? a rapidly growing group of walleye enthusiasts all across the "It's rarely crowded out there in the winter. You may see one state. Walleyes are now abundant in several of our major riv­ or two boats, but that's about it," Dave Schrader says. ers, including the Allegheny, Susquehanna, Juniata and Dela­ Dave, who hails from Endeavor, a small village in rural Forest ware. Dave's tips on winter walleye fishing can help anglers County, also believes walleye fishing is best during fall and winter. on all of these rivers. Actually, Dave lives outside of Endeavor, close enough to the Competition and his yearning to try new waters taught Dave Allegheny River to fish it since he was a young boy more than versatility, but the Allegheny River is still his home water. During 30 years ago. Other things occupied a lot of his time, like rac­ the years before he got into the national walleye mainstream, ing V-8 modifieds for 18 years. This competitive side emerged his specialty was winter walleyes on the river, and this is still again in Dave's walleye fishing. After several years of devo­ what he does during his spare time. tion to walleye fishing, he began competing in the In-Fisher- "I do quite a bit from Tidioute to Oil City, probably mostly man Professional Walleye Trail last year, qualifying for the around Tionesta, but there's some pretty good walleye fishing championship tournament, which involves just the top 40 of around Oil City." 137 touring pros. The best areas change from time to time, he says. The hot Why walleyes instead of the bass tournaments, or Great Lakes stretch may be from Warren to the Buckaloons for a few years, trout and salmon tournaments? After all, the walleye trail is then Tionesta gets hot, or Oil City to Franklin. Anglers have in the upper Midwest. The nearest tournament is hours of driving to be flexible to stay with the best fishing. You might learn a from his northwest Pennsylvania home. On any summer weekend lot by asking at bait shops along the river, but by the time word there are numerous bass tournaments nearby. gets around, the best fishing may be past. Dave keeps in touch "The walleyes just have something special," Dave says. "I by trying different places instead of pounding his best pools think it takes more finesse. Every time you go for these fish every time. This way when the hot pools go cold, he has somewhere it's a challenge to get them. I think walleyes present more of else to go. a challenge than bass or salmon."

January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler Mobility is an important factor. Shoreline access to the middle the bottom slopes gently toward a main channel. The only common Allegheny is very good, especially from Kinzua Dam to Tionesta, irregular structures are gravel bars at the heads of the pools, or which is bordered by the Allegheny National Forest. However, where tributaries enter the river, or boulders. a lot of the best winter walleye water can not be reached from Some people think that dredging is what brought great numbers shore, and shore fishing commits you to one small area. of walleyes into the middle Allegheny because these pools provide The river level is often high enough during winter, especially such good walleye fishing. Indeed, walleye fishing has improved during early winter, to reach most pools from one of several dramatically during the past three decades. Probably Fish and boat access areas. Dave is shopping for a jet boat, though, to Boat Commission stocking had more to do with it, yet the sig­ provide complete mobility during any flow. Some very good nificance of the dredge pools should be recognized. pools never were fished to any extent during winter until jet Dredge pools are basically bathtub-shaped, yet they gener­ boats became common on the Allegheny during the early 1990s. ally have more irregular structure than natural pools. These pools Unlike many serious river walleye anglers, Dave does most were created by sand and gravel dredging operations. The barges of his fishing during the day. This is mostly because of his that dredged the pools would be anchored in one place for some tournament fishing experience. Having been forced to fishdurin g time because as the gravel was dredged upriver from the barge, daylight at tournaments made him a better daytime angler and the river would wash more gravel from upriver to replace the taught him that night fishing is not as necessary as he once figured. gravel that was removed. Large rocks and boulders would be "In winter, I think the day fishing is just as good as the night pushed off the back of the barge, in time creating large piles. fishing. Being able to pick your days is more important. If These are the ridges that you may notice on sonar. we have bluebird days, mile-high skies, I don't go. I really like Time erases the evidence of dredging. Eventually gravel washes to head for the water when I feel a front move in." into the deeper areas. Few people even remember the dredge Dave relies heavily on a barometer. When it falls, it is a signal that existed 30 years ago just below the bridge at the upriver that a snowstorm or freezing rain is on the way. Good fishing end of the city of Warren. Dredge pools are much deeper than often occurs just before the front arrives, or as it arrives. Oth­ natural pools, in some places more than 35 feet deep. erwise, he prefers overcast days. Warmer, overcast days are Many anglers believe the best places to find big walleyes are excellent, not just for the comfort of anglers. Relatively warm in the deepest places. Dave disagrees. spells in northwest Pennsylvania . "Learn to fish that shallow water during winter may mean tempera­ with light jigs," he says. "I spend tures in the 30s and may lead to most of my time fishing 3 to 10 long periods of good fishing. feet of water, especially when the Very cold weather locks up most water rises a couple of feet." of the good river pools in ice. The Rising water usually has more river is more inclined to freeze color than lower water levels. This farther south from Kinzua Dam. increases the likelihood that wall­ The Starbrick dredge pool, upper­ eyes will move into shallow wa­ most of Dave's favorite pools, ter. Otherwise, walleyes will freezes last. But if you can stand probably be toward the deeper end the cold, and if you can keep your of that 3-foot to 10-foot range. rod guides from icing up, fishing "I've spent my time out in that can still be good. deep water. I tend to catch bet­ ter walleyes in that shallow wa­ Current and structure ter than I do in the 20-foot stuff. Bottom structure may be the "I'll come back to the boat primary element in locating wall­ launch at Tionesta with some nice eyes in lakes, but in rivers you must walleyes and talk with other fel­ look at the combination of structure lows," Dave says, "and they said and current. In most cases cur­ all they got was dinks while drifting rent creates structure by shaping in the deep channel." the gravel bottom. And at the same The same can be said of the time, structure shapes the current. deeper natural pools. During summer you might find "Also look for back eddie- re­ walleyes just about anywhere in verse currents," Dave says (see the middle Allegheny, with the Figure 1, page 6). exception of the swiftest, shallow­ Back eddies form on the sides est riffles. But during winter they of the main channel. Thehotspots are much less inclined to fight the current. Look for walleyes are usually where a back current crosses structure such as humps in the pools. and sunken points. There are two distinctly different kinds of pools in the middle "There are a lot of days when I anchor and a lot of days drifting Allegheny-natural pools and dredged pools. is the way to go," Dave says. "If the walleyes are on shallower Natural pools vary considerably. From Kinzua Dam to Tidioute structure 1 anchor off to the side and drift jigs over the struc­ there is not a lot of water deeper than 10 feet in natural pools. ture. But if the walleyes are scattered, I drift and fish vertically, From Tidioute to Oil City several places drop below 15 feet. if the water is deep enough." Pools also tend to be longer moving down river. In most places January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler winter ,r^ Pave-Schroder's Walk Winter Walleye^ Hctspats CRA^ WARHEN, Allegheny 1. Starbrick Dredge. This long, dredged pool ^ River * is separated from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Starbrick Boat Access by one shal­ low stretch. Depending on the water level, if the "OREST Kinzua Dam outflow is at least 2,000 cfs, this shallow VENAlNGO stretch can be crossed with a propeller-driven boat, but with caution. Only extremely cold spells lock this pool in ice. [RCER K

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_^>^-^ • Bi"ood Cily iSSt /sutler l BU" 7LER Figure 1. Dave Schroder suggests looking for walleyes in back eddies, like the one depicted in this drawing. Structure such as the hump "A" and the sunken point "/>'" are likely hotspots. Lures, bait, presentation Even though Dave is in tune with sophisticated walleye fishing meth­ 2. Trunkeyville. It is hard to get to with a boat, ods, he prefers to keep his winter fishing on the river as simple as pos­ Dave says, but there is good bank fishing access along sible. A jig and minnow handles most of it. He prefers lighter jigs than Route 62. Local anglers catch a lot of walleyes us­ those most anglers use. ing stonerollers and spottail shiners as bait. "Mostly I use 1/16-ounce or 1/8-ounce," he says. "If there is a lot of 3. Little Hickory Creek Mouth. Launch from wind I go to 1/4-ounce. Lighter jigs are more natural. They swim in­ the Fish and Boat Commission access near West stead of bounce on the bottom." Hickory. Dave suggests anchoring just off the cur­ Another lesson tournament fishing has'taught Dave is that the differ­ rent break. Cast jigs and minnows across the cur­ ence between winning and losing is often who catches the greater per­ rent break and let them drift with the current. Shore centage of the walleyes that strike the bait or lure. For light-striking winter fishing is possible in this relatively small area on the walleyes, he uses stinger hooks on his jigs. Stinger hooks are usually small Route 62 side bank. treble hooks attached either to the hook eye or the bend of the shank by a 4. Tionesta Dredge. Drift the same side as the short leader. This puts a hook at both ends of the minnow. It is difficult boat launch. Cast jigs into 3 to 4 feet of water and for a walleye to take this lure without getting hooked. retrieve them out to 10 to 12 feet. This is one of Dave uses small minnows, about 2 1/2 inches long. the more popular areas. Shore fishing can be very "I think that's what those walleyes are doing up there in shallow water, good. Ask in the village of Tionesta for directions chasing small minnows," he says. to the boat launch near the mouth of Tionesta Creek. Emerald shiners and fathead minnows are the minnows most commonly 5. President. Good shore fishing or boat fishing found in area bait shops. However, Dave prefers spottail shiners. These here. There is a sharp bend, and a deep hole just are heartier than emerald shiners, though most anglers cannot tell the difference below that. Anchor just off the side of the current between them. Both are native to the Allegheny drainage. He catches at the tail of the pool. Swing light jigs in the cur­ his own in a minnow trap from a tributary creek. rent. Dave describes his presentation of the jig and minnow as "a nice steady, 6. Oil City. There are some spots on the Route slow retrieve, nothing erratic-just keep it steady." 8 side that come up to 8 to 10 feet out of the 25- Like the rest of his system of fishing for river walleyes during winter, foot channel. Anchor off them, or drift. The water Dave relies on sound basics. The secret to catching walleyes consistently around the boat ramp at Oil City tends to freeze sooner is not some secret lure or retrieve-it is finding the walleyes than most of the middle Allegheny. -MB.

January 1096 Pennsylvania Angler Fiscal Year 1994-95 (July 1994 through June 1995) Executive Office Peter A. Colangelo took office as the basic fishing skills and aquatic education als installed 1,800 aids to navigation and Fish and Boat Commission's eighth ex­ classes. Nearly 3,300 children and other floating structures. ecutive director on October 3, 1994. new anglers took part in these classes. In We issued 1,355 capacity plates to re­ Lawrence W. Hoffman, who served as Pittsburgh, we introduced some 1,000 place ones lost or no longer readable, and executive director during the interim period children to fishing through the for new homebuilt boats. from March until September 1994, returned Commission's Urban Fishing Program. to his duties as executive assistant. Mr. We reached the same number of children Bureau of Law Enforcement Hoffman retired in August 1995, and in Philadelphia through a partnership with Bureau of Law Enforcement person­ Dennis Guise was appointed as deputy the Philadelphia Police Athletic League nel continued to perform a wide variety executive director and chief counsel. and the Philadelphia Department of of duties throughout the Commonwealth. Governor Ridge appointed Donald K. Recreation's Camp William Penn. Their work included fish and boat law Anderson of Meyersdale and Enoch S. The Pennsylvania League of Angling patrols with emphasis on the preservation "Inky" Moore, Jr., of Newville as new Youth (PLAY) newsletter was distributed of water quality (pollution/disturbance Commissioners. Both were confirmed by to 34,000 school children. PLAY club actions), reckless and negligent operation the Pennsylvania Senate and were sworn members numbered 2,500. of boats, and boating under the influence into office in May 1995. More than 600 professional educators of alcohol or drugs. WCOs also worked The Commission held four regular attended the forty 15-hour K ARE teachers with hatchery personnel to ensure the meetings and numerous committee meet­ workshops offered in 1994-95. These proper stocking of both coldwater and ings during the last year. At its July 1995 educators and those trained in the last six warm water fish. They participated in more meeting, the Commission elected Howard years used the Commission's curriculum than 2,000 education/information func­ E. "Gary" Pflugfelder of New Cumberland and materials to teach an estimated 500,000 tions such as attending sportsmen's meet­ as its president and Donald N. Lacy of school students about Pennsylvania's ings, sports shows and school programs. Reading as vice president. aquatic resources in the last year. In order to fill vacancies and prepare The Commission continued its efforts for the future, the Commission has worked to develop a strategic plan. After prepa­ Bureau of Boating with the Civil Service Commission to select ration of a summary of the draft plan, nine A record 330,000 boats were registered a new class of waterways conservation public planning workshops were then in 1995. This figure includes 15,000 officer trainees. Eighteen new waterways conducted in the summer and fall of 1994. personal watercraft, 18,000 new boat conservation officers started training in A public meeting in Erie wrapped up the registrations, and 37,000 unpowered boats. August 1995, with a projected graduation Commission's public participation pro­ The Commission issued Boating Safety in the spring of 1996. cess in January 1995. We received in­ Certificates to 9,043 individuals who put from 288 people who provided their successfully completed an approved boat­ Bureau of Fisheries ideas and preferences. ing course. A total of 6,815 of these people The Bureau of Fisheries consists of the In June 1995, the General Assembly took Commission courses. There were divisions of Fisheries Management, Re­ approved the first change in basic resi­ 346 active instructors who taught the search, Trout Production, Wann/Coolwater dent fishing license fees since 1983. Under Commission's BasicBoatingCour.se, and Production, and the Fisheries Data Cen­ the new fee schedule, which takes effect 345 additional instructors taught Boat­ ter. Bureau staff was involved in the pro­ for 1996, the resident license costs $ 16.25. ing and Water Safety Awareness. Instruc­ duction and distribution of a variety of tors in the water and ice rescue programs species offish. These fish were produced Bureau of Education have trained more than 13,000 emergency at the Commission's 14 fish culture sta­ and Information response personnel since the program's tions and stocked following recommen­ Articles that appeared in the Fish and inception. dations and plans formulated by Fisheries Boat Commission's magazines, Pennsyl­ Wc printed the Commission's new Management. Accomplishments of the vania Angler and Boat Pennsylvania, won Boating Handbook and distributed il to Bureau in 1994-95 included: first place awards in the 1995 Outdoor 125,000 boat owners in the Common­ • Stocking 4,846 miles of streams and Writers Association of America Awards wealth. The boating film library loaned 10,268 acres of lakes and ponds with more Competition. During the year, expansion copies of boating safety films and vid­ than 5.1 million adult trout. of the over-the-counter distribution of PA eos to 243 agencies or instructors. • Stocking 1,092 miles of rivers and Angler continued. Boaters reported 108 accidents in which streams and nearly 93,000 acres of lakes The Fish and Boat Commission's Edu­ 94 people were injured. Eight fatal rec­ and ponds with a total of nearly 106 mil­ cation and Information Volunteer Corps reational boating accidents resulted in 10 lion fry, fingerling and adult warm/ conducted some 2,000 hours of programs, fatalities. This is five fewer than in 1994. coolwaterfish. reaching nearly 175,000 people. Com­ The Commission issued 394 permits • Involvement of 158 sponsors and 191 mission-certified Fishing Skills Instruc­ for buoys, mooring areas and waterski nursery sites in the Commission's Coop­ tors conducted 105 "I'm a SMART Angler" ramps. Federal, state and private individu­ erative Nursery Program. January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler 1 HMNBi^^m ANN UAL REPORT

• Passage of 872 adult American shad Bureau of Property The License Section issues licenses by over the Easton Dam on the Lehigh River. & Facilities Management mail and over the counter. We have also • Completion of a comprehensive an­ • Completed construction of Phase I appointed select agents at key locations gler use/harvest survey in Lake Erie. of Tylersville Fish Culture Station reno­ in Ohio and New Jersey to service many • Completion of report reflecting positive vation. nonresident anglers. response of stream sections managed in • Continued construction of Bellefonte Fishing licenses issued this fiscal year the wild trout program with no stocking. Fish Culture Station wastewater treatment include: • Provided an opportunity for additional facility and renovations. Resident 962,746 trout angling on many trout-stocked lakes • Continued construction of Phase II Nonresident 66.437 and reservoirs during March through the electrical work of Pleasant Gap Fish Senior resident 20,406 extended trout fishing season. Culture Station renovation. Tourist 14,521 • Consolidated special regulation pro­ • Continued installation of Benner Spring Senior lifetime 14,433 grams, initiated a selective harvest pro­ Fish Culture Station alarm system. Free 1,240 gram, heritage trout angling program and • Constructed concrete bases and elec­ Trout stamps 744,059 a new approach to the use of conserva­ trical entrances for various hatchery fuel TOTAL 1,823,842 tive regulations on Penns Creek. supply installations. • First year of triploid grass carp pro­ • Completed construction of Loyalsock Federal aid projects gram as alternative technique to manage Access, Lycoming County. Fish Fund $5,772,733.72 nuisance aquatic vegetation. • Completed construction of launch ramp Boat Fund $1,076,898.36 for Deer Creek Access, Allegheny County. TOTAL $6,849,632.08 • Completed reconstruction of Fords

FISH FUND Lake dam, access and handicapped fishing BOAT FUND TOTAL REVENUE $25,478,000 pier, Lackawanna County. TOTAL REVENUE $8,485,000 • Completed construction of Pine Ac­ •• Fishing licenses $13,694,000 cess, Clinton County. ESS Boot registrations $4,554,000 r~"l Federal aid/augmentations $5,731,000 • E3 Liquid fuels tax $2,096,000 C3 Trout/salmon permits $3,720,000 • Dredged Walnut Creek and Northeast » i Federal aid/augmentations $1,090,000 E3 Miscellaneous revenue $2,333,000 Marina basins. IS Miscellaneous revenue $745,000 • Completed bird predation work at Bellefonte Fish Culture Station, Corry Fish Culture Station andTionesta Fish Culture Station. • Completed lower half of Huntsdale Fish Culture Station bird predation project. • Began bird predation structure for Pleasant Mount Fish Culture Station. ^Replaced the launch ramp at Linden Access, Philadelphia County. % Installed an additional launch ramp at Goldsboro Access, York County. • Constructed an additional parking lot FISH FUND BOAT FUND TOTAL EXPENDITURES at the Muddy Creek Access, Lancaster TOTAL EXPENDITURES AND COMMITMENTS $27,690,000 County. AND COMMITMENTS $7,576,000 » Landscaped Stackhouse Training WM Salary, wages, benefits $18,442,000 •i Salary, wages, benefits $4,818,000 I I Operational expenses, School grounds. I I Operational expenses, grants and subsidies $6,796,000 ^Completed necessary renovations to grants and subsidies $2,057,000 CD Fixed assets $2,452,000 28 Commission structures for compliance CD Fixed assets $701,000 with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Bureau of Administrative Services Fishing License Section The Section appoints and supervises some 1,700 issuing agents consisting of county treasurers and private businesses. Monthly we received and audited reports with accompanying revenue deposited into the Fish Fund.

January 1996 Pennsyly/c^nia Angler SOUTHEAST — PENNSYLVANIA _ TIMETABLE by Vic Attardo

It seems as if I never have enough time to fish. No matter how Of course, my log books are filled with notes on such far­ many watery excursions I manage to take, I'm always looking away places as northern Canada and the great Midwest, but my forward to the next trip. most valued information comes from the homelands of south­ Am I addicted to fishing? You bet I am, and proud of it. eastern Pennsylvania, where getting away for a day on the water But like everyone else in the modern world, there's a limit does not mean a plane ride or a 12-hour drive. to the number of hours I can spend on the water. So having By far, the most important lesson I've learned through my more desire than opportunity, I like to maximize my fish-catching record-keeping is the correlation between water temperature effort by being in the right place at the right time. and fish activity. Through a careful recording of stream and Of course, no one can predict with perfect accuracy the lake temperatures I know I can catch largemouth bass even machinations of a favorite gamefish. But by using a detailed before the first daisy has bloomed in the garden and hook wild log book that I began many years ago, I not only have infor­ trout in the dead of winter if the water temperatures are co­ mation on how and where I catch fish, but also a record that operative. tells me when to fish. I'm often out angling for fish that other sportsmen don't pursue My five-volume library contains not only a chronicle of the until the guidebooks tell them to go. In some cases, this gives well-known seasons, such as the start of shad fishing in early me an unusual fishing year. It also provides a lot of peace April, but it also holds the key to catching fish in the off-sea­ and quiet because I avoid the regular seasons and crowded con­ sons, when many anglers have hung up their rods to go to flea ditions. markets and football games.

January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler 9 Rick Bodenschantz on Perkiomen Creek, Montgomery County

With a thermometer and my records as a guide, I start my the coldest water. No amount of long underwear does the job year here in the southeastern corner of the state like everyone that neoprenes do. else, on January 1. My winter fishing consists of two species trout and walleyes, with the former making up the vast number of excursions. Here Relieving cabin fever in the southeast, many of our small streams are fishable throughout Like thousands of anglers 1 once spent my winters buried under the snowiest years. The Little Lehigh, Bushkill, Tulepehocken the proverbial woolen blanket. I tied a lot of flies, which is good, and Valley Creek are the most popular regulated waters. Dur­ read a lot of books, which is also good, and watched too darn ing the winter of 1993-94, with its record-breaking snowfall, I much TV. I still tie more flies in the winter than at any other was still able to fish one of these streams about every other week. time and I can't put down a good mystery novel or a western. In a mild winter I fish them a lot more. But now, with Jack Frost nipping at my nose, I go fishing even You'll notice that all the streams I mentioned have one thing when there is snow on the ground. Quite simply, two things in common: They all have a catch-and-release area. In these have made this possible: Gore-Tex clothing and neoprene waders. special zones, which now receive a fall stocking or are man­ From January to March, 5mm neoprenes keep me warm in aged with fingerling trout, anglers stand a good chance of finding hungry fish.

The headwaters of Perkiomen Creek in Berks County offer wild trout. Yon can enjoy summer action on the lower end of Perkiomen Creek for bass, rock bass and red­ breast sunfish. For those bass and panfish use ultralight spinning tackle and small worms.

1" January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler The Southeast also has nearly 100 miles of wild trout streams, water temperatures, shad fishing has been slow during the early and these also offer excellent opportunities for off-season angling. season, particularly for the shore angler-which is where I like Winter trout fishing is best done slow and deep. Large, dark to fish for shad. nymphs, such as generic stone flies and Woolly Buggers, as well Last year, shad fishing really took off for me, and the other as Pheasant Tails and bead heads, are the best producers for both anglers who hung in with it, from the second week of May until wild and holdover browns. Fall stocked rainbows also respond early June. But I'm jumping ahead of myself. to Glow Bugs, or egg flies. I fish for trout each year from the fall of the previous season Hybrid stripers right on through opening day. I know this backward fishing is Doing poorly with the migrating shad and facing a closed regarded as heresy in some corners, but I'd rather work hard bass season, a few years ago I started looking around for an­ for a few fish in the so-called off-season than fight the crowds other catchable trophy fish. That fish has become the hybrid and fresh hatchery trout during a lot of the traditional season. striped bass. Then again, part of my rationale for this activity is the fact that Landlocked stripers are traditionally considered night feed­ by the time opening day rolls around, I'm usually out catching ers, and this becomes true when a cool spring turns to a hot summer largemouth bass and panfish in the Southeast -for another un­ and the water skiers take over our southeastern impoundments. usual season. But in early spring, with the water temperature hovering around I know I'll raise a lot of eyebrows when I say that by the close 55 degrees, the hybrids are consistently daytime feeders. of bass season in mid-April I have already landed some 50 large- Once again, the key to success is finding shallow water that mouth during a good year. warms slightly on a bright afternoon. When I started fishing The key to this success depends on two things-a little nice for spring stripers I was amazed to discover that most strikes weather, of course, but just as importantly the availability of occurred in narrow coves off the main body of a lake. By mid- farm ponds and shallow lakes. March the stripers were already chasing the lake's forage into My records from one particular mid-March period read like the back waters and feeding pretty much throughout the day. this: "With temperatures in the low 70s for the past three days Fishing can be hot from noon to 2 pm, die off for a few hours the bass think it's more like May than March. Today, in mid- and come back strong in the evening. Or there could be a strong afternoon, I caught four bass and three fat bluegills on my 8- bite throughout the afternoon that would fizzle as the sun started weight fly rod, using a black Woolly Bugger. Around me the to sink. It is nearly impossible to tell at which time of the day call of spring peepers was as loud as a teapot's whistle." the bass would hit. In the early spring you just have to be there. Or these notes from another early season: "Water tempera­ At Lake Nockamixon in Bucks County and Blue Marsh in ture at only 53 degrees. But with the sun shining strongly all Berks, two southeastern lakes where an early spring bite oc­ this week the bass are taking a black jig and pig gently dropped curs, stripers are taken below the surface on 1/2-ounce white alongside last year's cattails." bucktail jigs adorned with plastic trailers, or just below the surface The key to late winter and early spring bass is to fish shal­ with plastic stick baits. I've had wonderful success with a fly low water where the sun will turn the fish on. Unfortunately, I rod using a simple Woolly Bugger pattern tied to look like a have just as many disappointing records that show that I returned minnow. to a farm pond or lake the day after catching a bunch of fish, The fly is constructed with a tail of white or gray marabou and because the weather had become cooler and cloudier, I went and pearlescent Krystal Flash and a weighted body of silver- home empty-handed. metallic chenille and grizzly hackle. Underneath the hackle I In the last few years, with early season shad fishing either lay a peacock herl on either side of the fly to imitate a minnow's relatively slow or an outright bust, I regularly hit a few lakes lateral line. I call this easy-to-tie concoction the Heavy Metal and ponds to catch largemouths and bluegills right up until the Minnow. Other patterns that work are a white Deceiver and season closes in mid-April. If I choose, I can continue work­ white Strip Leech. ing these same locations for panfish until my attention is drawn Striper daytime fishing lasts until about mid-May when the elsewhere. water temperature climbs into the mid-60s. Then it's either back to the shad, which hopefully are now cooperating, or onto two Had by the shad other great Pennsylvania fish, the pickerel and the crappie. Each year the local papers are full of information on the status of the annual shad migration. It used to be that old-timers would Cure for summertime blues watch for the shad flower to bloom along the river banks as The season's next phase is a summer smorgasbord. Begin­ an indication of when to hit the water. These days all you need ning about the second week of June and running through mid- to know is contained in the back pages of the sports section. August, I fish for just about every fish the state has to offer. I have fished for shad with some of the best shad fishermen If I had only one month a year I could fish, I'd choose the around-anglers who have won tournaments and anglers who month of June (September would be a close second). The 30 consistently score better than most others. But in the last three days of June gives me a chance to nab either big spawning cats, years, the way these fishermen have complained, I don't mind fat bluegills, crappies and redbreast sunnies, and when the season confessing that the traditional prime time to fish for shad in the opens in the middle of the month, stream and river smallmouths, lower Delaware-usually the last two weeks in April and the first and pond and lake largemouths. Of all of these I dream the most week in May-has been a bust for me since 1993. about the smallmoufh. Yes, I've caught fish and yes, I've seen anglers who miraculously On a light spinning rod or medium-weight fly rod, small- landed a couple of dozen shad in one afternoon because they mouth bass put up a darn good fight. There are so many wa­ happened to be sitting on a dime-sized piece of real estate where ters in the region to fish for smallies that bass should be declared the fish were stacked. But plagued by either high water or cold the southeastern state fish. January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler The streams in which I've caught a plentiful number of bass would fill a page in the summary of regulations and laws. But some of my favorites in this region are the Manatawny in Berks County, the Perkiomen in Montgomery, and the Tohickon in Bucks County. You won't find trophy fish in these streams, but their sheer number makes up for their lack of size. And in between the smallmouth you'll catch an array of redbreast sunfish, rock bass and the occasional crappie. Early last summer I came across a dedicated bait fisherman, Rick Bodenschantz, working his way down the Perkiomen catching bass after bass, and redbreast after redbreast. Rick was using the simplest rig, a baited hook with a small splitshot pinched about 18 inches above the line's business end. I watched him for more than a half an hour as he slowly and carefully probed a wooded shoreline with worms and grubs. It was his close investigation of the available cover that net­ ted him a lot more fish than I had caught that morning, and this simple but effective technique is a good way for anyone to approach a smallmouth stream. Rick and I were the only anglers in the Often I'm the only person on a stretch of water at this time vicinity that day, but when I went for a drive that afternoon I of year. Still, when fishing wild trout water I hold fast to a personal couldn't help noticing how crowded the trout streams were. rule: Never fish the same section of stream within a two-week Good smallmouth fishing in rivers like the Delaware and period. I've set this standard because I believe the fish can not Schuylkill tapers off when the water temperature rises above handle the stress of frequent battles and it keeps the trout un­ 78 degrees. You can still catch a few fish on live bait in the accustomed to my offerings. mornings and evenings, but from long experience, I know that This rule also keeps me moving from stream to stream. If lure fishing really drops off when the thermometer continues other anglers would adopt it, I believe those waters that seem to climb. However, if you can find a long grass bed, which to be hammered time and time again would look a lot less like for some reason the southeast region does not have in abun­ a fly fishing metropolis. dance, surface fishing on summer evenings can be worthwhile. And this is how I spend my fishing time in the southeastern The fish I really want to pursue on those dog days of July corner of the state. In 12 months I have caught about 15 spe­ and August is the largemouth bass. I travel to Pocono lakes cies of fish and maybe one more if I've put in my time search­ like Shohola and Pecks Pond and start fishing at 4 a.m. for bass ing for river muskies. In a regular year my local waters have that know they better eat in the morning because the rest of the given me everything from a striped bass to a bluegill, and all I day will be too hot to do anything but lie under the weeds and had to do was be at the right place at the right time. drink soda. The lures I use for this stars-to-sunrise activity are as time-honored as Izaak Walton-the black Jitterbug and the black-and-gold Rapala. I wasted a lot of time in my early years of night fishing go­ MY UNUSUAL. ing to lakes that did not have clear water. There's a muddy, algae-covered reservoir less than a quarter-mile from my house FISHING YEAR in Montgomery County, and I have not caught a bass at night January 1 to March 31. Wild trout in nearly 100 miles in that water for years. But travel to a lake where the water is of Class A streams in the Southeast. clear or has a light tannin stain and you'll find the bass a lot March 1 to mid-April. Largemouth bass and panfish in more cooperative when the moon is up. shallow lakes and farm ponds. After bass season closes, The key to dancing in the dark with a largemouth is the re­ fish for panfish. trieval speed of your lure. At night, things move very slowly Mid-March to early May. Hybrid striped bass in shal­ when they're on the water so they don't attract attention. Your low coves of large impoundments. lure should also be worked slowly with an occasional twitch May through June. Shad and pickerel in the Poconos. and pop. Of course, if the bass are really active and the water Early June. Redbreast sunfish and smallmouth bass in is in a constant turmoil from feeding fish, then you should also small streams. speed up your retrieve, but this is a rare occurrence. Listen for Mid-June. Panfish and smallmouth bass in streams and those sounds in the darkness to tell you how to fish those muggy rivers, catfish in the Delaware and Schuylkill. summer nights. Late May, June, July, August. Striped bass in the Delaware. Mid-fa! 1 and winter returns me to the narrow streams of the Largemouths in deep lakes and farm ponds. Smallmouths Southeast with nearly 100 miles of wild trout waters for the in rivers. Night fishing for largemouths later in the sum­ picking. Water temperatures have dropped drastically by this mer. time, but as long as the thermometer reads over 50 degrees, I Late August, September. Big smallmouths in the riv­ can catch wild browns and brookies with slow-moving nymphs ers. Largemouths and panfish all over. and streamers. Late September, October. More largemouth bass, fall On those rare days late in the season when the air tempera­ wild trout and second-season trout stockings. ture climbs into the upper 60s or low 70s, I might see a thin November, December. Stocked and wild trout. -VA. hatch of caddises or blue-winged olives and nab those trout eager to get a last meal on the wing. January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler A Crayfish for the Long Rod by Chauncy K. Lively chambers near the bottom that fill with to prevent the thread windings from slip­ Crayfish are among the meatiest of all water and offer safe haven. At the tops ping around the curved end. freshwater crustaceans. Often reaching of the burrows, turrets resembling chimneys The prominent pincer legs are dressed a length of four inches, they offer a sub­ are built-hence, the name. with red squirrel tail hair set in a "V" con­ stantial mouthful to a formation. After setting wide range offish, from the angle of the legs I bass to trout and from wind three or four close pike to carp. Indeed, I turns around the hair at know of more than one the base of each leg and startled Allegheny River apply a heavy coat of ce­ fisherman who suddenly ment to the windings. found himself attached This helps to retain the to a large musky while spread of the legs when fishing "crawdads" for the hair is wet. smallmoufh bass. The carapace is fash­ Once, when I was ioned from a strip of poly- fishing popping bugs styrene prepared by along the shallow edges sanding both sides with of the river below Big fine sandpaper and tint­ Sandy Creek, a chap an­ ing with a brown mark­ chored his boat in a deep ing pen. The thorax is a hole opposite me. He coarse dubbing of any was fishing soft-shells brownish-orange fur and we exchanged bits mixed with long guard of conversation over the hairs from muskrat, mink water. Suddenly, he or beaver fur. The abdo­ yelled and his spinning men is made of brown rod took on a deep bend Body Glass wound in as his line slowly moved downstream. Un­ Our crayfish pattern is the product of close turns. able to control an obviously heavy fish, several subtle modifications in an origi­ For river smallmoufhs I like to fish the the angler lifted anchor and followed the nal pattern we firstdresse d about 20 years crayfish in riffles, casting cross-current fish down the eddy. Thirty minutes later, ago. Back then it was a good fish-get­ and retrieving in short spurts as it swings and nearly a half-mile downstream, a tired ter, but the present version is consider­ downstream. The shallow edges of ed­ fisherman beached a huge carp that must ably more durable. To achieve the ovoid dies are also locales worth watching, par­ have weighed at least 30 pounds. Don't body profile of the natural crayfish, I first ticularly late in the day. Big bass often tell that angler the carp is not a sport­ cement an underbody of sheet aluminum cruise among the exposed rocks at such ing fish! to the underside of the hook's shank. The times, looking for crayfish, tadpoles or Smallmouth bass have a particular underbody is about 1/8-inch wide and schools of minnows. The telltale wake fondness for crayfish, and in waters where occupies the forward three-quarters of the of a bass in thin waters gives him away these crustaceans are plentiful, the bass shank, allowing space behind the eye for and a well-placed cast in his path often are likely to grow large. The crayfishes the whip-finish. After the cement has set, does the trick. However, it's advisable have five pairs of legs, the firstpai r armed I coat the underbody with rubber cement to keep a low profile because bass become with large, prominent pincers. Typical very spooky in this situation and if he sees of all crustaceans, they have a hard outer you he's likely gone. shell, or exoskeleton. In some species the Dressing: Crayfish Big trout love crayfish, too, and many carapace-the protective covering of the Hook: Size 6 to 10, 3X or 4X long. trout anglers overlook carrying appropriate thorax-is smooth. In others it is spiny. Underbody: Sheet aluminum strip patterns. Work a crayfish along a logjam The abdomen consists of six jointed seg­ 1/8-inch wide. or brush pile adjacent to deep water and ments that are activated to provide swim­ Thread: Brown 6/0, prewaxed. hold on to your hat. I remember walk­ ming locomotion. Pincer legs: Red squirrel tail hair. ing back to my car along the banks of the From time to time the exoskeleton Eyes: Heavy monofilament. Letort at dusk and seeing the heavy wakes becomes soft to permit molting and re­ Carapace: Prepared polystyrene sheet, of big browns over the dense beds of elo- newal of the exoskin as the crayfish grows. tinted brown. dea. Likely they were foraging for crayfish Their typical habitat is under flat rocks Thorax: Heavy dubbing of brownish- that had left their burrows in the bank to or in burrows dug in mud banks. The so- orange fur mixed with feed. That was many years ago and in called Chimney crayfish build deep ver­ guard hairs. those days I carried crayfish patterns only tical burrows in stream banks about a foot Abdomen: Brown Body Glass. in my bass kit. You may be sure I don't or so back from the water. They dig out suffer that oversight today!

January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler A for Long Rod

2. Cut a hunch of hair and tie it in at the bend. Separate the hair into two halves and wind between to form a "V." Make three or four turns around the hair at the base of each leg and cement the windings.

1. Cut the aluminum underbody to shape shown at upper right (in tweezers). Cement the underbody to the underside of the shank Coat with rubber cement. Tie in the thread behind the eye and wind hack to the rear of the underbodx.

3. Cut a strip of prepared polystyrene slightly wider than the underbody and tint it brown with a marking pen. Taper one end and tie in the tapered end over the base of the hair legs.

6. Wrap the Body Glass forward in close turns and tie off behind the hook's eye. Trim the excess. A whip-finish of the thread behind the eye and a drop of lacquer on the 4. Prepare the eyes by ho/ding a J/2-inch finish complete the Crayfish. length of heavy monofil with tweezers and heating the ends with a match or lighter until a hall forms at each end. The result should resemble a miniature barbell. Tint it black with a marking pen and tie it in over the carapace winds.

5. Bring the carapace strip over the eyes and bind it down with two turns behind the eyes. Lift the free end of the carapace out of the way and make a loop dubbing of mixed fur and guard hairs. Wind working thread to mid-shank and wind dubbing to this point. Tie off and trim the excess. Next, stretch the carapace over the fur thorax and tie it off. Trim the excess. Then tie in a length of Body Glass at the end of the thorax. 14 January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler On the Water with Charles F. Waterman

Master Reels

Fine automobiles and well-tuned outboard motors are supposed trout big enough to take line, everyone on the creek knows when to purr. Expensive light fly reels are supposed to squeal. As a you have hooked a fish. If you have a reel with a soft click, callow youth I was proud of the civilized mutter when I stripped your nearby friends have no way of knowing you have the hatch line from my eight-dollar prize. I learned later that a high-grade figured out. On the other hand, if you are near sneaky strang­ click is supposed to be noisy. Never mind that the cheap old ers, it's a dead giveaway if you hook a fish and they are apt to reel that wouldn't cry is still working after all these years. move into your pool. However, the noisy click is a status symbol A long time ago, American fly rod manufacturers got into we cannot ignore. Someone said there is a clique of people some competitions that proved to various experts' satisfaction who love loud clicks. That's only mildly humorous. that they made the best in the A forbidden subject among world. It didn't work out so really advanced anglers is the well with the fly reels. Oh, automatic reel, a mechanical there were a few prestigious contrivance that stores your line American models, but the (generally with no backing) and British cornered most of that takes up slack instantly, keep­ market. For a long time the ing it from under foot. It has experts said a reel for light fly saved thousands of dollars worth fishing was simply to hold extra of fly lines that would otherwise line and that most any kind of have been severed by wading a spool would work fine. cleats or edged rocks. It is not Then I got a wake-up call. made to handle big fish, but In a brief chance at immortality some people who have never I was asked to catch a trout for caught a fish over 15 inches a movie cameraman and I ap­ consider it a sign of cultural de­ peared with a clean shirt, my pravity, and although they cannot nearly new Christmas vest and remember the color of their unpatched waders. The movie backing they don't want to take folks held a conference and a chance with long runners. then asked me if I didn't have I have seen some beautiful a reel besides that inexpensive, custom reels, and the ones in­ black American model. Could tended for really heavy fishing I borrow an English one with have no clicks at all, because that a little more glitter? would interfere with smooth I emerged from the cutting running when a fish goes. One room with a new perspective. designer, however, showed a After that I bought a pretty good beautifully built click that reel with a nifty click and close sounded when you take up line. tolerances. I was very proud This puzzled me because I know of it until I got some dirt in it, when I am taking up line, even when it refused to turn until it had been rinsed out, and I was when I am excited, and I mentioned it. He explained that if 1 embarrassed at my crude handling of a precision instrument. were fishing with a guide it was essential that the guide know It was the next season when I slipped on a wet log and skinned when I am retrieving line. I had never thought about that but I my knee, also bumping the precise little reel on a rock. After have one of the reels, which I used a great deal until 1 realized that it would not turn and I took it to a tackle repairman who that it was a little large and made my fish look smaller in pic­ examined it as if checking a life-threatening injury. tures. I now use it only on bigger fish and hold it back against "I don't know any way of straightening that spool until it's my stomach when a fish and I have our picture taken. perfectly round," he said. "You might try a jeweler." I looked at a reel display in a pretty good shop the other day. I did. and the jeweler laughed, but I had never liked him very I couldn't find any of the inexpensive oid favorites and the dealer much anyway. said he didn't handle them. Not costly enough for now, he said. 1 have pondered the value of a loud click, which was one feature He did have a simple little number with no drag for $189. of most of those expensive reels. For one thing, if you are catching

January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler Streams forCatjchinaJanuaruDrout by Charles R. Meek

16 January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler Last year several days proved to be an­ other "January thaw" with temperatures in the high 40s. Bryan Meek and I en­ tered a slow section of the Little Juniata where we had seen trout rising the day before. After we waded into the river a fair hatch of dark-gray midges appeared on the surface and the first trout fed on them. Soon Bryan and I had a pod of more than a half-dozen trout rising upriver from us. More than half of these feeding fish took our size 20 Dark Gray Midge pat­ terns. The hatch lasted and trout rose for more than two hours that January after­ noon. What a way to spend a January afternoon! A week later I invited Chuck Furimsky in midwinter. Waters like the Little Lehigh how effective fishing can be on Spring Creek of Rockwood to fly fish for rising trout in Allentown, Little Bushkill in Easton, in January. Recently Mark fished a sec­ in late January. Chuck ties some of the Fishing Creek near Lock Haven, and tion near Lemonl and landed 45 trout. One finest flies I've seen in my more than 40 Spring Creek and Logan Branch near January afternoon and 45 trout-not bad! years of fly fishing. I asked Chuck to tie Bellefonte hold a good number of trout. Steve Sywensky of Lemont, an expert a dozen Dark Gray Midges and to meet Compare these limestone streams with fly tier and fly fisher, does consistently me on the river near Petersburg. We agreed many of the state's freestone streams in well on central Pennsylvania's Spring to meet at 11 a.m. because any feeding winter. Many of the freestone streams lack Creek throughout the winter. Steve pre­ action usually occurs from noon to 4 p.m. the buffer of spring water and harbor ice fers using a Little Black Midge pattern on most January days. If you plan to fish and water temperatures often near or just to match the afternoon hatch on those over rising trout, especially those rising above freezing. I'll never forget the day January days. Steve believes that Spring to a small midge, then plan to fish slow- I took a temperature reading in a small Creek is one of the most reliable streams water areas. When feeding on these small central Pennsylvania stream in the midst an angler can fish during the winter, with downwings, trout spend as little energy of a July heat wave and recorded a 54.9- Big Spring in southcentral Pennsylvania as possible taking the food-otherwise degree reading. The following January a close second. Steve often uses sow bug they'd use up more energy than they gain I again recorded the temperature and it imitations on Big Spring in January. from eating these diminutive morsels. showed 48 degrees on the same stream. Don't overlook using a midge pupa pat­ These more moderate temperatures of the Yellow Breeches tern. Often these patterns fished just under state's limestone streams produce more Bob Eichler of Frederick, Maryland has the surface work on highly selective trout. winter hatches, especially midges, and a ritual. He and several angling friends Chuck and I arrived at the tail of a long more active trout. start off the New Year fly fishing on the pool. By the time we had assembled our Don't overlook some of the state's Yellow Breeches and Falling Spring in fly rods, put on enough cold-weather gear tailwaters when you fly fish in January. southcentral Pennsylvania. No, they don't to protect ourselves, and anived at the river, Pohopoco Creek below Beltzville Reser­ have spectacular days, but they do catch we already saw a pod of more than a half- voir near Lehighton, the Youghiogheny trout, and they do kickoff the New Year dozen trout slowly, methodically sucking River at Confluence, Codorus Creek near fly fishing. Bob often opts for a marabou in dark-gray midge naturals. Chuck pro­ Hanover, the Al legheny River near Warren, streamer or a Clouser Crayfish. Both ceeded to catch more than half of the risers and the East Branch of the Clarion River patterns produce trout in early January. before we looked for additional rising trout just north of Ridgway all hold January at the upper end of the pool. trout and fairly moderate water tempera­ Lower Bald Eagle Do you think it's unusual to encoun­ tures for midwinter. Water from the bottom Bob Budd of Altoona occasionally fly ter feeding trout in January on Pennsyl­ of dams produces midwinter temperatures fishes in midwinter. When he does he often vania streams? No indeed not! You can in the high 40s and low 50s downriver. relies on large patterns like the Woolly travel to many streams across the Com­ Look at just a short list of some of the Bugger. On one fishing trip to the lower monwealth and experience hatches and more productive waters in January. Bald Eagle on New Year's Eve, Bob found feeding trout, even in midwinter. But even a heavy holdover rainbow trout that took if you don't encounter a hatch and rising Fishing Creek (Clinton County) the huge pattern. On that New Year's Eve trout, you can catch trout. You'll find a Don Bastian of Cogan Station fly fishes day the water temperature on the lower good supply of trout on many Keystone this stream almost every month of the year. Bald Eagle held in the low 40s. streams and rivers. Don often boasts about the high produc­ Many of the Commonwealth's dozen tivity of this stream and the hatches it holds. Codorus Creek or more top limestone streams hold fairly Even in January Don often finds midges Bryan Meek fly fishes Codorus Creek moderate temperatures throughout the emerging and trout rising. at Menges Mills near Hanover in Janu­ winter. Moderated by springs, many of ary and February. He most often uses Bead these streams boast temperatures in the Spring Creek (Centre County) Head Pheasant Tail Nymphs and Woolly 40s and have little ice along their shores Ask Mark Jackson of Hollidaysburg just Buggers on these winter fishing trips.

January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler Within the past two years he's av- -, Streams L Creek near Hanover with great success. eraged four or five trout on these /j£ •% g 1 * w n I Smaller bead-head patterns like the Bead midwinter trips to the Codorus. JH f Head Pheasant Tail Nymph work year- Bryan's caught brown and rainbow round, and stonefly nymphs like the trout up to 15 inches long. that these fish haven't had much food for Woven Stonefly Nymph produce strikes a couple of months and when they see these even in midwinter. Youghiogheny River downwings they eagerly chase them. Ask Craig Cheselke if the Youghiogheny Bead-Head Pheasant Tail Nymph holds January trout. You'll find Craig and Little Juniata River If I had one pattern to use an entire year his son fly fishing this river almost ev­ Several years ago Jim Ravasio asked it would be the Bead Head Pheasant Tail ery month of the year. Craig often drifts me to meet him for some midwinter fly Nymph. In cold water in midwinter I often the section from Confluence downriver fishing. I met Jim on the Little Juniata opt for a size 12 or 14 pattern instead of to Ohiopyle. Craig especially likes the River just above Barree for an afternoon a smaller one. section below Confluence around Bidwell of fishing. Station and the section just below the dam I handed Jim a size 12 long-shank Green Black Stonefly Nymph at Confluence. Weenie. Jim sized up the pattern and asked If the stream you plan to fish holds a Paul Miller of Connellsville has fly fished whether it would work in cold weather. midwinter stonefly hatch, then you can the Youghiogheny River for almost two I assured Jim it would as I tied on the same expect stonefly nymph patterns to work. decades. Paul prefers the Treatment Plant pattern. Before that cold afternoon ended. They work well on Ridley and Yellow near South Connellsville in midwinter. Jim landed a half-dozen trout on that weird- Breeches creeks in southcentral and south­ looking pattern. The Little Juniata River eastern Pennsylvania. Little Bushkill Creek produces some good trout fishing all winter On many January afternoons you'll find long. As I said in the opening story, on Little Black Midge Rich Keesler of Easton fly fishing on the many January afternoons you'll find midge On many January afternoons on streams Little Bushkill. He's fly fished this fer­ activity. Look for trout rising on slower and rivers throughout the Commonwealth tile limestone stream near Easton for al­ sections of the river. midges appear. If they appear in concen­ most 20 years. Just about every day he trated forms you'll find trout rising to them. finds a decent midge hatch on the stream. Patterns I prefer a size 24 pattern with a black or Rich uses a midge pattern or a size 20 to Which patterns work best when fish­ dark-gray body. 24 Griffiths Gnat with a great deal of ing for midwinter trout? You might be success. When Rich doesn't see trout rising among the majority of anglers who think Streamers to a midwinter hatch on this stream, he winter fly fishing means large wet flies. Bob Eichler of Frederick, Maryland uses uses a Hare's Ear or Pheasant Tail Nymph That's not always the case, however. Just marabou streamers when he fly fishes in with a great deal of success. ask devoted midwinter fly fishers like Rich winter. The Black Marabou, fished slowly, In late January and early February Rich Keesler or Steve Sy wensky about patterns often produces when the water temperature often sees trout rising to a premature hatch for January fishing on Pennsylvania holds near 40 degrees. Don't overlook of little blue-winged olive duns. He streams. Both anglers often match midge the Lady Ghost streamer. This pattern has matches this late-winter mayfly hatch with hatches with a size 20 to 24 midge or consistently produced strikes in cold a size 18 or 20 Little Blue-Winged Ol­ Griffith's Gnat pattern. The Griffiths Gnat weather for me for the past two decades. ive. With air temperatures in the low to is nothing more than a size 20 to 24 fly mid-40s these mayflies often have trouble with a peacock body and a grizzly hackle. escaping from the surface. Rich also uses small nymph patterns like Wet Fly Tactics a size 16 or 18 Pheasant Tail Nymph and Fish the pattern deep. Remember that Ridley Creek a Hare's Ear. water temperatures even under the best Southeastern Pennsylvania anglers have Remember that you'll find water tem­ of conditions at this time of year rarely some excellent fly fishing near Media on peratures at this time of year ranging from rise into the 50s. Therefore trout often Ridley Creek. Barry Staats, a local fly 32 to 50 degrees depending on the wa­ stay-and feed -in the deepest sections of fishing authority, frequents the stream in terway. We said earlier that limestone the stream. Fish the deep riffles at the January and February. Fly fishing on this streams like Spring Creek and Falling head of pools and work your patterns Philadelphia-area stream is enhanced Spring Branch often hold temperatures slowly. Trout at this time of year don't through the cooperative efforts of the Delco in the low to mid-40s, whereas freestone swim as quickly as they do when the water Manning Chapter of Trout Unlimited and streams like Kettle, Pine and the First Fork temperature rises. the Fish and Boat Commission. Together of the Sinnemahoning rarely rise much Look for hatches. As I indicated be­ they plant a good number of fish in the above 40 degrees. fore, on some streams and rivers you will fall and provide great trout fishing through­ If trout aren't rising to an occasional little encounter hatches of midges or little blue- out the winter months. blue-winged olive hatch or a dark-gray wings. If you do, consider yourself for­ Barry prefers using a Black Stonefly midge, then it's time to think about wet flies. tunate and fish the hatch. Look for these Nymph in midwinter to match the heavy Large wet flies like the Green Weenie and hatches to appear in January at the wannest number of naturals that Ridley Creek holds. Bead Head Woolly Bugger work well if part of the day-early afternoon. If you When these adults emerge, Barry says that fished fairly slowly in cold water. don't see any hatches, then fish your trout chase them a couple of feet, even Bryan Meek uses the Bead Head Woolly patterns slow and deep. -CM. in the cold January waters. Barry surmises Bu««er throughout the winter on Codorus 18 January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler KINZUA CREEK

WATERSHEDBY ROBERT L. PETRI

The valleys between the flat-topped ridges of the Allegheny National Forest in McKean County are laced with a variety of trout streams of all sizes and descriptions, from tiny brook trout waters that tumble from rock to rock down narrow hollows to larger, more powerful streams that sweep past knots of hunting camps and crossroads villages on their way to meet the Allegheny River.

January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler 19 Many of these waters feed the AlleghenNMSy Reservoir, 12,000 Downstream froBm Route 59 , Kinzua Creek flows through a acres of cool, deep water nestled in the rolling mountains along long section of roadless terrain, broken only by bridges at Kinzua the border between Warren and McKean counties. With the Bridge State Park and at the village of Kushequa, farther down­ exception of the Allegheny River itself, the largest and most stream. With each passing mile, the stream becomes higher significant of these waters that feed the reservoir is Kinzua Creek. quality trout water. The gradient continues to increase, and as Against a backdrop rich in history and scenic beauty, Kinzua the stream picks up a number of small, cold tributaries such as Creek carves a 24-mile path through the heart of the eastern Three Mile Run and others, a respectable trout fishery begins portion of the Allegheny National Forest to meet the Allegh­ to bloom. eny Reservoir and form the narrow, eight-mile-long portion of Jim Neely of Kane is an avid angler, and past president of the reservoir known as Kinzua Bay. A long bridge on PA Route the Kane-based Black Cherry Chapter of Trout Unlimited. He 59 now spans the bay at the point where Kinzua Creek joined knows Kinzua Creek well. He prefers the section of the stream the Allegheny before the completion of Kinzua Dam in 1966. in the upper reaches near Kushequa. He cites the relatively light The significance of Kinzua Creek among the streams of the fishing pressure in this area, as well as Fish and Boat Commission Allegheny Highlands goes beyond its dominant size. Kinzua stream surveys that indicate very good holdover of stocked fish, Creek is also one of the best trout fisheries in the Allegheny with some truly large individuals present, as well as a fairly National Forest. There are many water types here to meet al­ healthy population of wild browns. most any angling preference, from long sections of pocket water Kinzua Creek crosses into the Allegheny National Forest near to deep, placid pools with undercut banks and downed trees to the village of Guffy about three miles northwest of the town provide trout cover. A modest population of wild brown trout of Mt. Jewett. Forest Service Road 316 bridges the stream at is supplemented by stockings by the Fish and Boat Commis­ Guffy, providing access. Neely reports that this section of the sion and with trout produced by the efforts of local sportsmen's stream is also a very worthwhile destination, with numerous clubs enrolled in the Commission's Cooperative Nursery pro­ deep pools and other good holding water. gram. Because it flows for the most part through the publicly At the U.S. Route 219 bridge at TallyHo about two miles owned confines of the Allegheny National Forest, access to Kinzua downstream from Guffy, a 2.3-mile delayed-harvest, artificial- Creek is excellent. lures-only project begins on Kinzua Creek, and extends down­ Kinzua Creek rises in a series of boggy meadows and bea­ stream to the junction with Camp Run. Forest Service Road ver dams near the village of Cyclone, about 10 miles south­ 321 closely parallels the south bank of the stream over the entire east of the city of Bradford. These upper reaches of the stream length of the project, providing easy access. flow slowly across the flat ridge top, and the open nature of The project section of Kinzua Creek is one of the busier sec­ the terrain allows the Kinzua headwaters to warm considerably. tions of the stream, but it also offers some of the most consis­ Few trout inhabit this section of the stream. tent fishing to be found in the watershed. The stream wanders Kinzua Creek gathers a number of small tributaries shortly through patches of thick woods and brief meadows, and there after it intersects PA Route 59 about two miles west of the vil­ are numerous deep pools with downed timber to provide hid­ lage of Ormsby, and the nature of the stream begins to change. ing places for the resident trout. As it falls off the wide, flat ridge top, the gradient of the stream Commission stream surveys show excellent holdover of stocked begins to increase, forming pockets, riffles and pools to pro­ brook and brown trout in the project, and the modest wild trout vide trout habitat. At the same time, a fairly dense forest be­ population found in the Kinzua Bridge to Route 219 section gins to close in around the banks of the stream, providing a dose continues to hold its own in these specially regulated waters. of much needed shade. In recognition of these changes in set­ Below the downstream boundary of the project, Kinzua Creek ting, the Fish and Boat Commission begins stocking trout at sweeps past the tiny village of Westline, and continues west the point where Kinzua Creek bisects PA Route 59. toward the Allegheny Reservoir. These lower seven miles of These upper reaches of Kinzua Creek are far healthier to­ the stream from Westline to the mouth tend to warm somewhat day than they were in years gone by. According to Fish and in the summer, but still provide good fishing throughout most Boat Commission Area 2 Fisheries Manager Ron Lee, there of the season. were upwards of 200 oil and gas wells in the upper Kinzua From Westline to the mouth, Kinzua Creek is one of the largest watershed as recently as the late 1970s. A facility to dispose trout streams of the national forest, averaging 50 to 60 feet in of the salt brine from these wells operated on the stream, con­ width in many sections. There are long, shaded riffles, abun­ tinuously discharging untreated brine into Kinzua Creek and dant pocket water and a good number of deeper pools all through depressing life in the stream for a considerable distance down­ this section to provide cover for trout. This section of Kinzua stream. This facility was closed in the early 1980s as was a Creek is not only stocked both before and during the season, sister facility designed to remove the phenols and heavy met­ it also is one of the waters selected for the relatively new au­ als that can be part of the oil and gas extraction process. Some tumn stocking program initiated by the Commission in selected sections of upper Kinzua Creek near Route 59 still exhibit a streams across the state. streambed that appears to have been paved-the marks of past Despite having somewhat warmer summer water tempera­ abuse. Yet, according to Area Fisheries Manager Lee, the water tures than the upper reaches above Route 219, these lower sections quality in these sections continues to improve, and with the closing of Kinzua Creek still boast a good carryover of stocked trout of the brine and chemical plants, the water has become suit­ throughout the summer, along with a scattering of wild trout. able trout habitat. Area 2 Fisheries Technician Allen Woomer notes that stream 20 January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler This brook trout was caught in Kinzua Creek near Kushequa. Remember- "low and slow" early in the season whether you fish baits, flies or lures.

surveys taken in the vicinity of Kinzua Creek's junction with Tactics, techniques Thundershower Run, a mile or so downstream from Westline, Successful tactics and techniques for the trout angler on Kinzua showed a "good spread offish" across a wide range of size classes. Creek vary considerably depending on time of year and stream In these larger downstream reaches, some of the deeper holes section. Kinzua Creek is a major waterway of its region and it yield a number of browns in the 20-inch-plus class each year has many faces, calling for flexibility in your methods and to those who take the time to learn the water. approach. Access to the section of Kinzua Creek below Westline is made The opening day or early season angler would do well to easy by U.S. Forest Service roads that parallel both banks. Forest concentrate efforts on the lower reaches of Kinzua Creek be­ Service Road 321 follows the south bank of the stream and is low Westline. These larger sections of the stream often have accessible either directly out of Westline or off Forest Service warmer water temperatures than the more narrow, shaded up­ Road 122, which leaves PA Route 321 about 12 miles north of stream reaches. In the spring, a few degrees difference in water the city of Kane. temperature can be critical to success. Whether you fish bait, Forest Road 321 also intersects the lower reaches of Meade lures or flies, remember that the key to early season success is Run, Kinzua Creek's only stocked tributary. Meade Run is a to fish "low and slow." Explore the deeper sections of the pools small stream where both wild and stocked brookies can be found and keep your offering on or near the bottom. In the early season, in good numbers. this is where the trout will be. Forest Service Road 122 runs fairly close to the north bank As the season progresses and April gives way to the warmer of Kinzua Creek in the section between the mouth and Westline. days of May and June, extend your exploration of Kinzua Creek Access is via PA Route 321, near the Red Bridge campground into the waters above Route 219 and the sections near Kushequa operated by the Forest Service. For a variety of reasons, in­ and Kinzua Bridge State Park. These portions of the stream cluding occasional heavy truck traffic, Forest Road 122 can be display abundant pocket water and lots of large rocks and other a rough haul for a conventional automobile, particularly in the in-stream obstructions to provide places where the now more early season when the winter frost is still working its way out active trout can wait to ambush drifting food items. of the ground. May and June also bring lower, clearer water to Kinzua Creek, The quality of the Kinzua Creek fishery falters as the stream so pay attention to your approach to the stream. Stay back and comes into the open area in the mile or so above the mouth. down when you cast to keep from spooking the trout. Use stream- The rise and fall of the level of the Allegheny Reservoir has side cover to mask your silhouette when possible. Even though made a meadow out of most of this bottom mile of stream, and heavier lines can be used in the high and somewhat murky waters there is a considerable amount of silt and debris here, as well of April, the lower water conditions of mid-season are your cue as warm mid-season water temperatures caused by a lack of to go to lighter lines and equipment. streamside shade. If you plan to fishth e lower reaches of Kinzua For fishingspinner s and bait, an ultralight spinning outfit spooled Creek, get well above this area that is prone to flooding by the with 4-pound test is a good choice. Bait anglers do best with fluctuating level of the reservoir. redworms and live minnows drifted through the pocket water January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler and along deep, undercut banks. Spin fishers can have A PLACE good success with smaller spinners and spoons cast TO STAY upstream and worked past The U.S. Forest Service likely holding lies. operates a number of pub­ The mid-season condi­ lic campgrounds well within tions also bring out the best striking distance of Kinzua fishing in the delayed-har- Creek and numerous other vest, artificial-lures-only fine Allegheny National project downstream from Forest trout waters. The Route 219 at TallyHo. The closest to Kinzua Creek are special regulations in effect the Red Bridge Campground here allow for the highest density of trout to be found anywhere along PA Route 321 just north of the mouth of Kinzua Creek, in Kinzua Creek. May weekends often find this water fairly and the Kiasutha Camping and Picnic Area off Longhouse Drive busy, but you can usually find a place of your own somewhere (Forest Service Road 259) between Route 321 and Route 59 along the project's 2.3-mile length. east of Warren. Both areas offer excellent facilities and a place Even though most of the anglers you will meet along the Kinzua to put down temporary anchor for the angler who is making Creek project will be carrying a fly rod, the spin fisher can also an extended stay in Kinzua Country. do well here by paying special attention to some of the less obvious For more information on managed camping facilities in the holding lies in the stream. Delayed-harvest trout can tend to Allegheny National Forest, write: U.S. Forest Service, 222 Liberty develop a harassment complex from being constantly pressured Street, Warren, PA 16365, or call (814) 723-5150. by anglers, and they often opt to hold in places where some­ The U.S. Forest Service also publishes an excellent map of body is not always bothering them. Look for them in side channels the Allegheny National Forest, detailing all the forest service and in smaller pockets off the main flow. roads, as well as the locations of the region's abundant trout waters. The map is an all but indispensable tool for exploring Hatches the available fisheries in the Allegheny National Forest, and is Even though Kinzua Creek offers a fairly good array of hatches also available at the Warren address given above. The cost is for the fly angler, none is stronger or more important than the $3.00 plus tax. -RLP. long annual emergence of various species of Isonychia or slate drake mayflies. Their characteristic elongated cases cover many of the rocks along the stream throughout the period from late BIG BROWNS May through early October. An Isonychia nymph in size 12 As with most of the trout streams that feed the Allegheny can be very productive at these times. Reservoir, Kinzua Creek hosts a spawning run of big brown As with all Pennsylvania freestone trout waters, the advent trout out of the reservoir each autumn. These heavy fish have of high summer brings with it some of the toughest angling spent the summer feasting on the abundant forage of the big conditions of the season on Kinzua Creek. Low, clear water lake and are measured in pounds rather than inches. Trout up calls for a very careful and deliberate approach to the stream. to 10 pounds have been taken at the mouth of Kinzua Creek Otherwise, all you'll see are the fleeing shadows of the trout and other reservoir tributaries during these times. Mid- to late that used to be in the pool in front of you. Additionally, even October generally provides the best opportunity to latch on to though the entire stream stays cool enough for most of the summer one of these bruisers. to support trout, summer water temperatures remain coolest in Even though the fish will travel a considerable distance up­ the upper sections of Kinzua Creek, above Route 219. If you stream, some of the best fishing can be had in the channel of decide to sample Kinzua Creek during July or August, concentrate Kinzua Creek just below the bridge on PA Route 321 at the stream's your efforts on these upper sections. mouth. Remember that these are big browns, strong and defi­ All along the 20-mile-plus length of Kinzua Creek, there is ant, and they are not all that impressed by light tackle. Spin good trout fishing and fine scenery to be found. From the big fishers should be prepared with a medium-action outfit, with water setting of the lower reaches to the more intimate surroundings at least 8-pound test. Fly anglers are best able to tame these of the headwater sections below Route 59, this waterway offers fish with a heavier rod than what would be normally used for both variety and quality. Kinzua Creek is worthy of your in­ regular stream fishing. A 9-foot rod balanced for a 6- or 7-weight spection and some of your angling time. Give it a try this year. line is about right. -RLP.

The opening day or early season angler would do well to concentrate efforts on the lower reaches of Kinzua Creek below Westline. These larger sections of the stream often have warmer water temperatures than the more narrow, shaded upstream reaches.

January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler ar -eeh

by Mark A. Nale

Hidden far away from the much publicized Locating Yellow Creek "big name" trout streams is Yellow Creek, Southcentral Pennsylvania's Yellow Creek, a southcentral Pennsylvania treasure. This which should not be confused with Indiana gem flows southeast from Woodbury to County's Yellow Creek or Yellow Creek State Hopewell, Bedford County, where it adds Park, is located 25 minutes north of the Penn­ its limestone water to the Raystown Branch sylvania Turnpike in northern Bedford County. of the Juniata River. Aside from the main The village of Loysburg (on Route 36) lies stream, four tributaries also offer good trout near the center of the watershed. Routes 26 fishing and are certainly worth investigat­ and 36 parallel Yellow Creek for its entire length. ing: Maple Run, Beaver Creek, Three Springs Anglers unfamiliar with the area will find it Run and Potter Creek. very "user friendly." All main and second­ ary roads are clearly marked. The map that accompanies this article should be your guide to the county's best fishing.

'jumau, Big water Salemvillc River -j^e mouth 0f Yellow Creek at Hopewell can be found at the junction of Routes 26 and 915. Hopewell can be reached by taking Route 26 south from Lake Raystown or north from Route 30 in Everett. This is the "big water" section TRaystown covered A January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler bridge Branch 23 off and park. It should be noted that lit­ tering has caused one landowner to post "No Trespassing" signs both upstream and downstream from the Yellow Creek Drive (T557) bridge. This landowner will still permit fishing to those anglers who po­ litely ask. Please remember to respect landowner rights and don't litter. Almost all of the Yellow Creek watershed is on private land. Special regulations Yellow Creek's delayed-harvest, fly­ fishing-only water (mouth of Maple Run to just below the New Frontier Restau­ rant) attracts fly anglers from all over the state. It's a frequent year-long haunt of members from several neighboring Trout Unlimited chapters. Regular PA Angler contributors Charlie Meek, Ed Howey and other fly anglers have also tried their luck of Yellow Creek, with widths up to 90 feet. upstream side of SR1009's third bridge, on its beautiful and secluded limestone Three secondary roads branch off of Route as well as numerous pull-offs along water. 26 and cross Yellow Creek during the first SRI 022. Harry Guyer, Loysburg resident and mile of our journey upstream. The first, outdoor columnist for the Bedford Ga­ Langdons Drive (T655), crosses Yellow Covered bridge zette, has high praise for Yellow Creek's Creek in an area where the flow is con­ The historic Hall's Mill Covered Bridge fly area. He sums up his feelings this way: stricted to about 45 feet across. The stream is located some 3 1/2 miles above the mouth "I've fished lots of famous fly areas and has a nice gradient here, with excellent of Yellow Creek. This bridge, one of nothing compares. I can always pick up pocket water that fishes well with either Bedford County's 14 covered bridges, was my fly rod and catch a few trout there." wet flies or spinners. Ample parking is built in 1884 and has recently been re­ Many nice trout, both stocked and wild, located near the silver metal bridge. This furbished. Tire newly painted red and white have been caught and released in the fly is the easiest place to park, and the wa­ structure can be seen from SR1022 and area. Guyer's personal best for 1995 was ter offers good fishing for stocked trout. driven across by taking St. Paul's Church a 19 1/2-inch brown that he caught on Polecat Hollow Road (TR526) and Road (T539). Apart from the bridge's place a size 20 Griffith's Gnat. Harry thought SRI009, the other two roads to cross in Pennsylvania history, a beautiful pool that this monster was his ticket to the "20- Yellow Creek, offer little parking. awaits any angler who stops to fish in this 20 Club" (a 20-inch trout caught on a size The lowest stocking point is just above picturesque setting, and easy parking is 20 fly) and even though he was tempted the Sunny Side Market, near Polecat Hol­ located nearby. to get out the "fish stretcher," he knew low Road. Much of the water in this lower Although conventional wisdom and my that honesty was something that he could mile is wide and shallow, with little cover stream thermometer told me that all stocked live with. except aquatic plants and vegetation that trout would have long been gone from According to Guyer, most fly anglers hangs in from the sides. Stocked trout lower Yellow Creek, I saw a boy catch a return their trout, even between June 15 disperse well in this area with adequate 14-inch rainbow from the bridge pool on and Labor Day when they can legally water levels, providing good fishing in a 95-degree day in mid-August. harvest three trout per day. Catch-and- April, but fickle summer water levels often From the covered bridge upstream to release fishing is a big boost to anyone's result in fish vacating the area. Maple Run, a distance of about 1 1/2 miles, chances to land a big trout on Yellow Creek. Although Route 26 continues to par­ Yellow Creek takes on a narrower chan­ Besides the Griffith's Gnat, Guyer rec­ allel the stream, SRI009 and SRI022, nel and averages about 45 feet in width. ommends the Black and Elk Hair Cad­ which follow and cross Yellow Creek In addition to regular preseason and dis (sizes 14 to 20) and the Adams as good several times, provide the best access for inseason stocking, preseason float stocking dry fly patterns for the early season on the next three miles. This is probably the is done on the half-mile of stream below the delayed-harvest area. Although Guyer nicest trout holding water on the lower Maple Run. The float stocking efforts of fishes strictly dry flies, he noted that many reaches. Stream width varies from 40 to Trout Unlimited and local fishermen such trout are caught in the riffles on the Spruce 90 feet, and the habitat is made more at­ as Dan Feaster and Justin Claar improve Fly, and Pheasant Tail and Beadhead tractive with good cover and some deeper the fishing in this area by spreading out nymphs. Other important hatches on Yel­ water. Most of the area is forested, and the trout as well as the anglers. low Creek include sulphurs, green drakes, the stream is lined with black willows. Yellow Creek is crossed by Route 26 and the blue quill. With the stream swinging away from the as well as four other secondary roads before road in several areas, an angler can find it joins Maple Run. There is parking at Big trout in the gap relative seclusion even during the early some of the bridges, and several secondary Immediately above the fly area, Yel­ season. You'll find good parking on the roads have places where anglers can pull low Creek narrows where it squeezes

January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler through Tussey Mountain at the Loysburg areas on the stream, but the rest is still Yellow Creek hatches occur on Beaver Gap. The water here is deep in spots and open to angling. Potter Creek is entirely Creek. travels with a surprising velocity as it shoots on private land. Anglers can locate Beaver Creek by over and around the many huge turning onto SRI005 at the 90- boulders. Some locals refer to degree turn on Route 36 in this area as the "Devil's Den" be­ Loysburg. SRI005 and then cause of the barren rock fields SRI026 follow and cross Beaver that line both sides of the gap. Creek, providing angler access at The gap area of Yellow Creek various sites. has ample parking and is by far the most heavily fished part of Maple Run the stream, but secluded it is not. Maple Run, the only non-lime­ Busy Route 36 is never more than stone tributary to Yellow Creek, a few yards from the stream. begins on State Game Lands 173 Many anglers are willing to over­ and flows south to join the main look the traffic noise for a chance stream just below the fly area. to catch one of the large wild Unlike the other three low-gradi­ browns that live there. ent meadow tributaries, Maple Run The gap is heavily stocked by the Com­ Three Springs Run is a forested mountain stream. The lower mission with browns and rainbows as well Three Springs Run looks much like a two miles of this small freestoner receive as brook trout raised by the Ravers Gap smaller sister to Potter Creek, having good preseason and one inseason stocking. Sportsmen's Club. quality limestone water. It flows through Lower Maple Run also carries a fair popu­ pastured farmland. Three Springs Run lation of naturally reproduced brook and Headwaters still flows over a picturesque limestone brown trout, while the headwaters in State Yellow Creek is a meadow limestoner mill dam, creating a beautiful tumble pool Game Lands 173, which are not stocked, from Loysburg upstream to Woodbury. that has yielded more than one nice brown have mostly small native brookies. Al­ It is a good wild brown trout fishery in to my family over the years. Although though some finenativ e brook trout fishing this area and is not stocked. Almost all Three Springs has a wild brown trout can be found on Maple Run, anglers should of upper Yellow Creek is posted or leased population, surveys found their numbers be aware that some rattlesnakes inhabit by private fishing interests. to be less dense than in Potter. the upper watershed. Watch your step. About two miles of Three Springs Run The easiest access to Maple Run is from Potter Creek is stocked by the Commission with rainbow the bridge on SR1024 or by parking along Potter Creek, which crosses Route 36 and brook trout preseason and once SR1024 and walking through the hem­ and joins Yellow Creek at the village of inseason. Stocking begins at the first bridge lock forest to the stream. The stocked water Waterside, is Yellow Creek's highest quality on old Route 869 and extends upstream is below the bridge. A narrow dirt road tributary. Commission biologists found to New Enterprise. The Ravers Gap turns off of SR 1024 near the bridge and enough naturally reproduced brown trout Sportsmen also stock brook trout in Three follows Maple Run up into the state game to have Potter Creek removed from the Springs. Route 869 follows the entire lands. This road has rough spots and is stocking list and managed as a wild trout length of Three Springs with the old narrow not easily traveled by most cars. stream. Route 869 crossing it four times. Route Although Potter Creek is nearly four 869 turns off of Route 36 just north of miles long, it is still a small stream, even Loysburg. at its mouth. This is a true limestoner with Besides the fly patterns already sug­ Fish It Now! cress-lined sections as lush as anything gested for Yellow Creek, both Three The various trout fishing opportunities on the Letort or Falling Spring. Despite Springs and Potter Creek fish well with offered by the Yellow Creek watershed flowing through several pastures and being cress bug imitations. Bait and spinners make it a great place to visit in mid-April, degraded in some areas by cattle, Potter also produce trout. Make long casts and but you don't have to wait for April to enjoy Creek is a high-quality fishery. fish upstream to be more successful. its bounty. Because of their limestone Dan Feaster, an excellent spin fisher­ springs, Three Springs Run and Yellow man, fishes practically all of the Yellow Beaver Creek Creek just below Loysburg are great places Creek watershed and rates Potter Creek Beaver Creek is the longest and most to visit on a warm January or February as his top stream. During one outing last degraded of Yellow Creek's tributaries. day. Besides the normal spring stockings, year, Feaster landed and released 28 It joins Yellow Creek at the Loysburg Yellow Creek is also stocked by the Com­ browns, several of which were in the 15- Campgrounds and its mouth marks the mission in October as a part of their new inch to 16-inch range. Besides wild upper limits of Yellow Creek's stocking. fall stocking program. The delayed-har- browns, Feaster also catches limestone Beaver Creek is stocked from its mouth vest, fly-fishing-only section on Yellow brookies in the headwaters of Potter Creek upstream to Salemville, a distance of nearly Creek is open year-round and draws quite above the village of Maria. It's no won­ five miles. The preseason and one inseason a crowd in March and early April when der that he's excited about Potter Creek. stocking provide good fishing in the early other area waters are closed. Why not Potter Creek can be reached by turn­ season, but Beaver Creek is usually poor investigate Bedford County's treasure - ing onto Route 868 from Route 36 at after the end of May. Most early season even now? -MAN. Waterside. There are several small posted anglers fish bait, but many of the same .limitary 1996 Pennsylvania Angler 25 SMUIH0L1H BASS EH 125. 'w ^B__im_Jp|| I @ ® n

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Pennsylvania residents add 6% SALES TAX STREET. (no P.O. Box please) GRAND TOTAL $ Make check (no cash please) payable to: CITY .STATE. .ZIP. Allow six to Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and mail to: eight weeks Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission delivery. DAYTIME TELEPHONE P.O. Box 67000 • Harrisburg PA 17106-7000

GOING, GOING, GONE! Cumberland County's Laurel Lake will gler tackle boxes. All colors produce, probably never be accused of being one especially nickel and gold. of the top ice fishing destinations in the Jigs can also be productive on Laurel Commonwealth. Its water, which is fed Lake. Good colors to use are yellow, by Mountain Creek, is infertile compared orange, white and black. It sometimes to other local lakes. Except for trout, Laurel helps to tip your jigs with maggots, wax Lake is not a place to go to limit out on worms or meal worms. Try both presen­ a species or catch a lot of large fish. Perhaps tations and see which is working best at by some anglers' standards, Laurel Lake the time. does not have much to offer. But this FISHING Do not hesitate to use live minnows with impoundment has an ace in the hole- your ice rod. This allows you to readily variety. Here anglers can catch trout, large- change depths and give your minnow a mouth bass, bluegills, yellow perch, and at Laurel Lake little life. Try suspending it and giving even chain pickerel. it a few jerks now and then. by Seth Cassell More accurate nomenclature for Lau­ Be sure to use line no larger than 6-pound rel Lake would probably be "Laurel Pond," test, preferably 4-pound, when fishing for because this small impoundment is only trout. Anything larger can turn a trout off. 25 acres. Located just off the Appalachian Structure Trout can be found throughout most Trail, it is situated in the picturesque Pine During the warm months, about a quarter of Laurel Lake when the ice is on, so don't Grove Furnace State Park. Mountains of Laurel Lake is covered with lily pads, be afraid to experiment with different rise from all sides of the impoundment, where plenty of bass and pickerel reside. spots. In general, it is best to avoid shallow making it a scenic place to spend a day But this cover disappears when ice forms. areas. ice fishing. After ice-up, rock shelves, submerged logs and stumps, and brush piles are the lake's Largemouth bass, pickerel Laurel Lake's fishery primary structure. The lake's channel and Laurel Lake pickerel and bass can be Trout are undoubtedly the most abundant small coves also offer hiding and ambush caught with the standard rig-a tip-up and species at Laurel Lake, so they are the most spots for fish. a shiner. The main difference in ice fishing popular. If anything, Laurel Lake is con­ Laurel Lake is a shallow waterway. In for the two species is location. sidered a "trout lake." The Fish and Boat the lake's deepest section, it probably does First, structure is the key when fishing Commission stocks trout here through­ not reach a depth of more than 15 feet. for largemouths. Because Laurel Lake out the year, including fall, just before the The lake's channel, for most of its length, lacks an abundant amount of structure, water freezes. is approximately 5 to 6 feet deep. In some anglers should head for the lake's chan­ The fishing, however, does not end with places. Laurel Lake's water can be mea­ nel. Running along the lake's western trout. Pickerel are also frequently caught, sured in inches. shore, the channel is not very deep, nor although you will not findth e furious action is it very wide, but it is definitely a good that you would in Pocono-region lakes. Trout starting point when going for bass. Also, Most pickerel in Laurel Lake are not much As mentioned earlier, trout are the most for the most part, bass like to seek out the over the legal size of 15 inches, but larger abundant species at Laurel Lake and the deepest water during winter. Most times ones certainly roam about. Each year, most sought-after ice fishing species. It you will find them just off the bottom. someone usually pulls out one of these can be difficult at times to pinpoint the When specifically targeting Laurel toothy marauders that is over 22 inches. depth that trout are holding. Therefore, Lake's lunker bass, try going by the old Just recently, an angler caught a pickerel much experimentation in bait and lure rule "big bait for big fish." This is also that measured 23 3/4 inches and weighed placement is needed to be successful. Tip- a good way to take some of the lake's larger 4 1/4 pounds. ups are often used for trout with shiners pickerel. Shiners in sizes of 5 to 8 inches Bluegills are abundant and can be caught that are 2 to 3 inches long. Worms, cheese, are appropriate for this type of fishing. in great numbers while ice fishing. Large- marshmallows and other traditional baits Hook the shiners in the back at the dor­ mouth bass are present, but not in booming work. Most Laurel Lake anglers, how­ sal fin, because this allows them to move numbers. Most bass that are caught are ever, reserve most of their tip-ups for in a more life-like fashion. Be careful not small, 10 to 12 inches, but every once in largemouths and pickerel. to place the hook too deeply into the a while a bigger one is caught. While fish­ Using an ice rod is the most produc­ shiner's back, because this will eventu­ ing among the lily pads in summer, I tive way of taking trout under the ice. This ally kill it. spotted a lunker largemouth cruising the allows you to work your lure at different Because Laurel Lake has a limited shallows. By my best estimate, it easily depths and actions, because trout can population of lunker-sized largemouths, exceeded 22 to 23 inches. sometimes take a little coaxing before they it is not a good idea to tie up all of your Yellow perch are available in good strike. Jigging spoons are probably the tip-ups with large shiners. It is more numbers, and they often save the day when most popular lure for taking trout at Laurel practical to set only one or two tip-ups fishing is slow. However, they do not reach Lake. A productive spoon to use is a with the large shiners in key locations, the large sizes that they do in nearby 1/10-ounce or 1/4-ounce Swedish Pimple, and then devote the rest to average-sized impoundments such as Lake Marburg. which is a standard lure in most ice an­ bass and pickerel. January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler baits and lures as you would for bluegills. Perch, how­ This waterway ever, may be more apt to offers ice anglers take small minnows and are less concerned with line di­ variety. Here you ameter. can catch trout, Successful ice fishing FISHING requires an intimate knowl­ largemouth bass, edge of a lake's structure and at Laurel Lake habitat. So it is always help­ bluegills, yellow ful to take a scouting trip Ice-fishing for pickerel before the water freezes. does not vary much from perch, and even Take a small boat or canoe, bass, at least as far a lures chain pickerel. and paddle around Laurel and baits are concerned. But Lake and see for yourself what differs is location. where potential hotspots are Look for pickerel toward the located. Because Laurel head of the lake where the Lake is small, it is not too water is shallow, only 2 to difficult to narrow down 3 feet deep. Concentrate some of the best ice fishing your efforts near structure. spots. You might be pleas­ If this does not produce, try antly surprised how much the mouths of the two chan­ this helps your success when nels that flow into Laurel it is ice fishing time. Lake from Mountain Creek. Pickerel tend to congregate Late-winter fishing in these types of locations. For the second year, Laurel Lake will be a part of the Fish Bluegills, yellow perch and Boat Commission's new Average-sized bluegills late-winter stocking program. can be caught in good num­ Under this program, trout are bers during winter. Look for stocked sometime in late them near structure -in and February, and fishing is per­ along the channel, rock mitted throughout the entire shelves, small coves and at month of March. Ice-fish­ the channel mouths. These ing and boat fishing are pro­ sheltered areas offer them hibited during this time. protection from hungry Anglers may fish only from the shore. predators. Although these are good Minnows, garden worms, wax stalling points, bluegills can be found worms and meal worms are standard just about anywhere. baits during this time. Small spoons Jigging is the most effective way are a very productive lure because their to catch bluegills under the ice. A action is slower and they are easy to great combination is a small teardrop work close to the bottom. Spinners jig tipped with a maggot or meal are also a good choice if they are worked worm. You can also get away with deeply and slowly. using small shad darts. Plain live bait rigs with wax worms, meal worms j2£T. and small minnows can also be pro­ Access ductive. Be sure to use small hooks Boat Access and Parking Laurel Lake can be reached from no larger than size 8. Do not use any Route 34. Just below Mount Holly line greater than 2- or 4-pound test, Springs, turn onto Hunters Run Road because bluegills can be line-shy at (SR 3008). This road leads through times. a wooded area toward Pine Grove State Yellow perch can generally be Forest. Once in the park, anglers will found roaming the deep water in see the dam, lake and access area off schools. A good area for perch on to the left. Laurel Lake is in the "deep" water Laurel Before venturing to Laurel Lake, it on the boat launch side of the swim­ Lake is a good idea to call the park office ming area. to ascertain the lake's ice conditions. For perch, you can use the same That number is (717) 486-7174.

28 January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler J\nc}l&rs €Zur-r-^m£s DAY on the RIVER E&I Volunteer Corps member Ralph Gambler helps a youngster learn to cast. Other October 7,1995 activities for kids included making fish prints on T-shirts. Scott Park, Easton

The Commission marked 125 years of managing bass in Pennsylvania with a "Day on the River" celebration on the Delaware in Easton. Highlight­ ing the event was a re-creation of the original stocking with a horse-drawn wagon (right) escorted through the town to the river. Below, fish were stocked as they were 125 years ago.

Boating and water safety exhibits also marked the occasion. In addition to the Fish and Boat Commission, participating organizations included B.A.S.S., the Canal Museum, Dela­ ware River Shad Fishermen's Association, Forks of the Delaware Shad Tournament, Northampton County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PA National Guard, Trout Unlimited, and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

At right, Commission Area 5 Fisheries Manager Dave Arnold exhibited electro fishing equipment. Other demonstrations included filleting and cooking fish, fly-tying and lure-making.

January 1996 Pennsylvania Angler 29 Penn State Conservation Leadership School Instead of desks and blackboards, the The curriculum involves active partici­ for non-Pennsylvania residents) covers tu­ classrooms at Penn State's Conservation pation in environmental management, ition and all other costs for the student's Leadership School this summer will in­ resource assessment, and regenerative two-week stay. clude an underground cave, canoes and conservation methods. Topics include The 1996 Conservation Leadership sailboats on a 72-acre lake and green leaves watershed management, citizen action, Schools dates are: Session I, June 30-July and shade on 700 acres of forested land. basic ecology, land-use planning, alter­ 13: Session II, July 14-27; and Advanced In this unique setting at the University's native energy supplies, environmental risk Session, August 1-10. Please note: The Stone Valley Recreation Area near State assessment and forest management. Advanced Session is open only to students College, secondary students between the Students provide their own transpor­ who previously attended a regular session. ages of 15 and 18 will learn about con­ tation to the Stone Valley Recreation Area, To register by phone or for more infor­ servation during two-week programs that where they will stay in four-person platform mation, call 1-800-PSU-TODAY (1-800- emphasize field-based, hands-on learn­ tents with cots, heated shower and restroom 778-8632), or visit http://www.cde.psu.edu/ ing, group problem solving and environ­ facilities, complete meal service and all C&I/ConservationLS.html to see our mental management planning. educational needs. The $440 tuition ($495 WWW page.

The mission of the Pennsylvania Fish & Baal fingler's Notebook ty&tkCassJt Commission is to provide fishing and hooting opportunities through the protection and management Although catch-and-release fishing is a great of aquatic resources.

conservation practice, there is still nothing wrong EXECUTIVE OFFICE with keeping some of the day's catch for the Peter A. Colangelo, Executive Director dinner table. Many anglers like to keep their Dennis T. Guise, Deputy Executive fish alive until the fishing day is over by us­ Director/Chief Counsel John Arway, Division of ing a stringer. Don't slip the stringer through Environmental Services Joseph A. Greene. the fish's gills, because this may cause the fish Legislative Liaison to die prematurely. Instead, thread the stringer Dan Tredinnick, Media Relations Tom Ford, Resources through the thin membrane behind the fish's Planning Coordinator jaw. This keeps your catch "fresh" until it is COMPTROLLER dinner time. Ross E. Starner BUREAU (IF Hooks can easily dull while fishing. If you ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 717-657-4522 allow your hooks to go unsharpened, you in­ Wasyl James Polischuk, Jr., Director Rafael Perez-Bravo, Personnel crease your chances of missing strikes. There­ Brian Bamer, Federal Aid fore, always be sure to check your hooks for Mary Stine, Fishing Licenses sharpness. There are many pocket sharpeners BUREAU OF FISHERIES 814-359-5100 on the market that anglers can easily use to keep Delano Graff, Director their hooks sharp. You'll find that you won't Riekalon L. Hoopes. Division of Research lose as many fish if you use one. Richard A. Snyder, Division of Fisheries Management Dennis C Ricker, Winter trout fishing can be great in Division of Trout Production Pennsylvania's bountiful limestone spring creeks. Martin T. Mareinko, Division of Blood knots, although difficult to tie, are a Because these streams receive their water from WanniCoohvater Fish Production BUREAU OF PROPERTY AND terrific way to connect two pieces of underground springs, their water remains rela­ FACILITIES MANAGEMENT monofilament. They lose their effectiveness. tively constant year-round. Near the springs, 814-359-5100 James Young, P.E., Director however, when the two pieces differ in diam­ water temperature holds at about 52 degrees. James I. Waite. Division of eter. When you want to join two pieces of dif­ During winter, fish during afternoons and on Construction tii Maintenance Services Eugene O. Banker, P.E., ferent size, use a surgeon's knot, which is basically sunny days, when trout seem to be most ac­ Division of Property Services an overhand knot wrapped around three or four tive. Fly fishermen may even be afforded the 111 REAP OF LAW ENFORCEMENT times. It is a strong knot and it works well. 717-657-4542 opportunity to catch trout on the surface, so be Edward W. Manhart, Director sure to bring plenty of small dry flies. BUREAU OF BOATING It is always a good idea to carry a wading staff 717-657-4540 when wading in cold and turbid water. It can During cold weather, fish do not like to ex­ John Simmons, Director Virgil Chambers. Division of help immensely in keeping your balance, and pend much energy to take a lure. Spinners are Boniing Safety ct Education it lets you probe ahead for deep holes or large popular lures, but they may not be appropri­ Andrew Mutch. Division of Boat Registration boulders. An old broomstick makes a great wading ate during this time. Instead, try using spoons. BUREAU OK EDUCATION staff, provided that it is about chest-high. Drill These lures tend to move slower in the water & INFORMATION a hole through the top and tie a lanyard on it and are easier to work close to the bottom. It 717-657-4518 John Simmons, Acting Director before heading to the water. can be difficult to do this with spinners. Kitnberly S. Mumper, Education Carl E. Richardson, Education illustration- Ted Walke Art Michaels. Magazines. Publications Ted R. Walke. Graphic Services

30 .limitary 1996 Pennsylvania Angler " bbyv CarCar!l RichardsoRichardsonn

knot in the line. Pull the weight back up to the surface and bait up. Lower the bait to the bottom (the Tips on Tip-Ups mark is at the waterline) and raise it about a foot or so. Experiment with A tip-up is a nifty little the bait at different depths. To keep ice fishing tool that the minnow at the right depth, you does it all. The tip- need to use a splitshot or two. up keeps the bait at Important tip: You can change one depth, signals how much your bait can swim around when the bait is taken by adjusting the weight. A light and holds the line. If weight lets a baitfish swim freely. A you have never fished heavier weight restricts it. The dis­ with a tip-up, here are tance from the splitshot to the hook a few tips. also affects how far the fish can swim. The closer the splitshot is to the bait, the less it can swim. RIGGING Set up a string of tip-ups with baits Anglers often set at different depths or at several make the mistake of locations to locate fish. Once the fish spooling their tip-ups are located, all the tip-ups can be set with regular fishing at that depth or location. This is a line. Monofilament great trick for finding schooling fish line has a lot of like yellow perch. memory. Wound tightly on the tiny tip- Tip-ups also work great on fish that are on the move, like the up spool, the line will come off looking big predators. Pike, muskies, bass and trout cruise looking for a like a spring. The best line is braided meal. A minnow frantically swimming below your tip-up makes Dacron, or other line made for tip-ups. an attractive meal. This line is also easier to hold and re­ Tip-ups are only effective when baited with live or dead trieve. This is important because you bait. Live bait moves, wiggles, swims or flashes, attracting pull the fish in with your hands. Make fish. Fish are attracted by the smell of cut or dead bait. sure you wind the line on the spool so it trips the flag. Tied between the hook and the end of FLAGS! the tip-up line is a leader of monofilament. As the fish takes the bait, it pulls line off the spool, which This can be attached directly to the line or tied to a swivel. trips the flag. Move quickly to the tip-up, but don't run or If you are fishing for pike, stomp your feet. This can spook fish, because the vibrations muskies or pickerel, this leader move from the ice into the water. Pull the should be heavy mono or even tip-up out of the hole and hold the line in wire. Tie on a hook and you your hands. Gently pull the line until you are ready to fish. feel the fish. If the fish is there, give a strong tug to set the hook. Now you have your hands full-you must pull the fish in with your hands. FISHING Placing Make sure the line you have pulled up is Find the bottom using a bait at not tangled around you or the tip-up. That sinker clipped to the hook or different way if the fish makes a run you can give it the line. Lower depths line easily. the weight to the bottom (the line goes limp) and TIP-UPS mark where the AND THE LAW line enters the You are permitted a maximum of five tip- water. You can ups, or any combination of five tip-ups and rods do this by tying (with a maximum of two rods). ligSft an overhand

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